Latest Stories

That was the Gamma-Spawned Gargantuan's tag line for years, but currently Marvel Comics is taking it to a new level. From now through October, a story line called "World War Hulk" stomps through a variety of monthly titles, miniseries and one-shots, pitting ol' Greenskin against -- well, everybody.

Here's the setup:

Back in "Incredible Hulk" No. 92 (April 2006), a group of the Marvel Universe's movers and shakers called "The Illuminati" decided on a plan to stop the Hulk's rampages once and for all. Members of this ad hoc group -- Mr. Fantastic (of the Fantastic Four), Iron Man (of the Avengers), Sub-Mariner (king of Atlantis), Dr. Strange (our dimension's Sorcerer Supreme), Professor Xavier (leader of the X-Men) and Black Bolt (king of the Inhumans) -- decided they couldn't cure the Hulk, couldn't kill him and couldn't stop him from accidentally killing other people.

So they shot him into space.

Now, these aren't bad guys, so they intended to send the Hulkster to an uninhabited world where he could live out his days in peace. But since this is comics, something went awry -- and the Hulk's spaceship ended up on a heavily populated, warlike planet where he was enslaved and turned into a gladiator. The Hulk being the Hulk, he pretty much smashed his way to the top of the food chain in the course of 14 issues. At the end of "Planet Hulk," he was king of the planet Sakaar, had a "team" of loyal allies -- and was even married to a hot blue chick!

Until the ship he arrived in accidentally blew up, setting off a chain reaction that destroyed much of Sakaar and killed the hot blue chick. Oops. So now the Hulk and six powerful teammates are on a spaceship, heading for Earth -- and revenge. As far as the Hulk's concerned, the Illuminati killed his wife. Not to mention that whole shooting-him-into-space thing. So he's pretty mad.

And you know what the Emerald Behemoth always says: "The madder Hulk gets, the stronger Hulk gets!"

"World War Hulk" began a few weeks ago in "Incredible Hulk" No. 106, still on sale if you're lucky. But that issue was mostly prologue, with teenage genius and Hulk groupie Amadeus Cho (a new character whom methinks is destined for sidekick-hood) arranging allies for the Hulk's imminent return (in the June issue). Cho's first choice is the Hulk's cousin, Jennifer "She-Hulk" Walters, who is naturally sympathetic. The Sub-Mariner, who argued against the Illuminati's plan last year, is another likely candidate.

But you don't want to know about that. You want to know who's gonna get smashed, right?

Well, as I said, just about everybody. In addition to "Incredible Hulk" Nos. 106-110, the main story runs through a five-issue "World War Hulk" miniseries, beginning in June with a titanic battle against Black Bolt on the Moon. Iron Man, Heroes for Hire and Ghost Rider come in for a world of hurt in several issues of their respective titles. Various miniseries and one-shots feature battles with the X-Men, Young Avengers, the regular Avengers and something called the "Gamma Corps." Oh, and the whole thing is chronicled by the press in a six-issue miniseries called "World War Hulk: Front Line," starring the same two reporters from last year's "Civil War: Front Line," which apparently sold well enough for a "sequel."

All in all, the "World War Hulk" banner will be stripped across the covers of (gulp!) 33 books. Presumably, you only need to read the "main" books -- "Incredible Hulk" and "World War Hulk" -- to get the basic story, and the other 23 books are just for funsies. Of course, you could just wait for the inevitable collection, which will do the picking and choosing for you.

How big a story is this? Well, Marvel's hype machine has trotted out the usual phrases about changing the character forever. Veteran fans roll their eyes at noises like this, but it is hard to see how the previous status quo could be re-established after the Hulk deliberately assaults some of Marvel's biggest guns. And after the recent "Civil War," which revealed Spider-Man's secret identity and killed Captain America, it does seem that Marvel's willing to take some chances.

But whatever the outcome, it's an opportunity to see the Hulk do what he does best: smash puny humans. Really, what more could you ask?

(Contact Andrew Smith of the Memphis Commercial Appeal at capncomics(at)aol.com or visit www.captaincomics.us/.)

Taxing Times

Paying taxes unites us. It also divides us. People can pay five and even six times more in state and local taxes than other folks in similar circumstances making similar incomes.

Taxes unify Americans, but rates vary by state

Identity Theft

Who's got your number?

In one of the fastest-growing forms of identity theft, crooks are stealing tax refunds by swiping personal information and using it to trick the Internal Revenue Service.

Lawmaker offers anti-ID theft law to foil crooks who profit off dead children